Road vs MT Biking Attitudes

[janneman72]

Of course,the other side, is, when you are in your car, do you 'greet' other car drivers? When walking at the mall, do you greet other mall walkers? When shopping at the local woolies (I generalise, but it seems to me the average hub member is a poncy woolies shopper - no shoprite shoppers here, well, maybe one or two of us...) do you greet your fellow shoppers?

 

Why do you expect some random stranger to greet you from the other side of the road, and why the hell are you so offended when they don't? Is your self esteem that low?

 

Oh, wait, is it some naive belief in a brotherhood of fellow cyclists? WTF? Even regular folks have a serious problem with the brotherhood of man...What makes you so special?

 

You want a team sport, where you get to feel you competitors bum periodically? Share naartjie halves at half time? Rugby's your game. Cycling is for tough, egotistical SOB's...

Yes, I greet people in shops etc. Don't you? You're probably a roadie then and not even a hybrid.

 

Anyways, I though I would start this topic of what happened today at the bike shop but was thinking for a long time about it.

 

Today in the bike shop, while we waited the guy next to me asked me(actually told me), "you must a be roadie?" with a smile. I told him "No, I normally do 99% MTBiking and just seeding races on the road(for the Argus)". His face immediately dropped and he said very sarcastically looking down at me kind of way "So you're doing the road races with your MTB to be seeded? haha". I told him "No, I bought a new road bike 6 months ago"(with 330km to date on it[approx 100km for the Amashova, 100km for the Satellite and 100km for the 94.7]) so the guy just looked disgusted and walked out of the shop???? WTF? I have better conversations than that with the Pick 'n Pay till ladies.

 

Anyways, the bottom line(s) are:

- If you're not riding in the Elite, $, A, even VA group and/or never finished a race under the first 1%, you're just a cyclist like everybody else including myself as well as the guy starting in the ZZ group or whatever.

- For the Elite, $, A, even VA groups and first 1% guys....respect!

- If you're a roadie and still windgat please remember that you will never be the best nor the worst so you're once again just another cyclist.

 

In other words, the next time a MTBiker on a MTB over takes a roadie in a race or on the road...SMILE AND WAVE BOYS, SMILE AND WAVE!!!

[Burts]

i dont share the same sentiments. alot of cyclists enjoy both disciplines of cycling as do i.

my opinion on the difference of attitudes lies in that road cyclists are always concentrating on their training, their heat rate etc, and generally have determined training purpose for their ride, whilst mtb'rs on the other hand also may share some of the same qualities but not at the same level of intensity. there is a far more exciting, dirtier, more free atmosphere, some what resembling the days of your youth, where you enjoyed riding your bmx, very ruff and tumble. and you generally shared those bmx'img moments with friends, hence the more sociable atmosphere from the mtb'rs.

 

however, mind you that there some grumpy mtb'rs and also very sociable roadies.

 

just my 2c

 

Well Said!!

[Burts]

i dont share the same sentiments. alot of cyclists enjoy both disciplines of cycling as do i.

my opinion on the difference of attitudes lies in that road cyclists are always concentrating on their training, their heat rate etc, and generally have determined training purpose for their ride, whilst mtb'rs on the other hand also may share some of the same qualities but not at the same level of intensity. there is a far more exciting, dirtier, more free atmosphere, some what resembling the days of your youth, where you enjoyed riding your bmx, very ruff and tumble. and you generally shared those bmx'img moments with friends, hence the more sociable atmosphere from the mtb'rs.

 

however, mind you that there some grumpy mtb'rs and also very sociable roadies.

 

just my 2c

 

Well Said!!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

another one from left-field...

 

It's very hard to appreciate your riding environment on the road. I mean, who longs for traffic, small closed spaces and the occurrence of potholes on a sunny sunday morning?

 

As opposed to loving the wide open spaces, natural obstacles and pollution-free trails?

 

Okay - I know that some people will appreciate a long, solitary road with no one other than yourself crunching the gears or marvelling at an alpine pass. But actually taking in the surroundings, and appreciating them, all the time? MTB territory right there.

 

Maybe it's in the air...

[The Drongo]

I don't know what you guys are talking about every body greats me on my roadbike and on my MTB

 

VAVAVROOOOM!

[Jongozi]

My opinion is that we are judging this from the wrong side. We take the kind of riding one does and then add character or attitude, we should take character and attitude and then add the kind of riding.

When you look at people who love nature and the outdoor you will also see 2 tipes of outdoor characteristics and attitudes, those who camp and those who stay in chalets. Those who go to civilized Kruger National Park and those who go to Moremi.

When roadies take their bikes for a service they drop it of at Cycle lab and after 30min of instructions on what they want done on it, they walk around the corner and have lunch at a restourant where they drink windhoek light or Amstel from a long curved glas.

M.T.B.’ers Take their bikes to their nearest bike shop (on the back of their muddy bakkies that also serves for a place of sleep over) ask them to check the tires and the oil, then they pull out a case of zammaleck, a gas braai and 4 meters of wors.

I work with a lot of different personalities, from the dreamers to the analytical, all perfect in their own way. I am sure that after meeting a stranger for 1 hour, you will be able to put him on the right bike and in certain cases even the brand.......

In every walk of life you get people who likes to take things more seriously and more focused and those who like to be more laidback.

So I say. The bike does not make the man. The man already is..... And the he buys a bike.

[mark ellis]

So I would like to thank the smart *ss who suggested waving to everybody while spinning at the gym, I was asked to leave this morning.....

[mark ellis]

How do you know I did not mean all Merc drivers are hot coz they drive sexy cars??

 

you see! thats the attitude we MTBer have

 

good on you foxy!

[Cassie]

So I would like to thank the smart *ss who suggested waving to everybody while spinning at the gym, I was asked to leave this morning.....

 

Mark...I also got banned from the local Virgin Active after trying to give a fellow nubile female cyclist a "push" with my hand on her ass...

it appears that this is NOT appropriate for spinning classes...My case comes up next friday!

[KiNgL]

I got an Iphone and a mtb cant stand black berries

 

i always wave at roadies from the bush/ side of the / kerb etc ,never get any responses.

[mark ellis]

Mark...I also got banned from the local Virgin Active after trying to give a fellow nubile female cyclist a "push" with my hand on her ass...

it appears that this is NOT appropriate for spinning classes...My case comes up next friday!

 

hahaaha, lucky you warned me, they also dont like it when you offer them a sip off your water....or spray it over your self, cant help if my helmet makes me hot in doors

[Vetseun]

MTBing is more fun. Period.

 

This is regardless of how hard you're pushing it - whether you're hitting 95% of your HRR and kakking off a new lung, or pootling around with the fairies at 5kph. There's just so much more gratification.

 

AND - you get muddy! With road biking you just get wet and dieselly. Not cool.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Hah! Just makes me remember 1 of Donkey's spinning classes where a water-bottle fight erupted in the middle of the session. There weren't many white shirts in the classes following that event...

[TheartB]

I'm a fairly noobie MTB'er, and have experienced friendliness from both MTB and Roadies, especially on the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch, I've also had some stiffs, especially in Jonkershoek, pass me looking me straight in the eyes and not great me at all

 

The real drag for me is walking into cycling shops like Helderberg Cycle World, and being helped by the most arrogant puffed upped salesman/cyclists I have ever come across. Flandria, a little less so. They don't relate to you on your level but theirs, knock some of the cheaper products or products they don't use that's in the shop. When my need is for something basic and cheaper, or crappier quality, then that is what I am looking for. Don't throw up in your mouth when I mention that I wan't something cheaper or whatever.

 

Just because you have a nicer bike, clip-on pedals, fancier sun glasses, or a bigger cycling vocabulary, doesn't make you better than anyone who doesn't.

[wernerj]

Hey, KEEP YOUR LINE @##^%!! Whose line is it anyway?

 

the problem with roadies in Pmb is that they think the line runs ACROSS the road and cars etc have to drive AROUND them into oncoming traffic....

i ride both, but have slowly but surely stopped doing any road because of the general lack of road etiquette, ROADIES display. and i dont want to be ASSociated with that. whenever i see an article in the paper about another cyclist being knocked my first thoughts are "was it the cyclists fault"? SAD....

besides MTB is more fun.

Edited January 14, 2011 by wernerj

[SwissVan]

Hell I nearly said that there is no difference between mountain bike rider altitude and road rider altitude.